Eternal Soul
by Jem24x
Summary: SEQUEL - Takes place where the first story left off. Faith wakes up somewhere else while the Scooby Gang deal with what took her place.
1. Prologue

Title: Eternal Soul

Disclaimer: They're not mine, they belong to Joss and blah blah, you know the drill

Rating: R for violence and language and maybe other stuff

Author's Note: This takes place directly after my first story "What Dreams Are Made Of" so you might wanna read that first or you'll be incredibly lost. 

Feedback: This is my second shot of fanfic so please be nice and honest.

Prologue:

            Faith awakened in darkness. 

            _Now there's a surprise_, she thought sarcastically.

            She thought the end had finally come and was doomed to relive this endless darkness, which is until she tried to stand up. There was a jangle of chains as she realized she was already upright, chained vertically to a wall and blindfolded. Her arms and legs spread wide apart and she could feel a thick collar of cold metal around her neck. It was then that the memory of how she got there came crashing back.

            She remembered waking up on a cold marble slab, nude and in a dungeon. A guard had come to take her to her own execution, but not before she wigged out, snapped her chains, knocked out the guard, and wigged some more. She then remembered heading towards the door and the last thing she remembered was a terrible blast of energy slamming her across the room and into the wall as soon as she stepped past the threshold. And now she woke up here, wherever here was. She could feel the terror and dread creep up on her as she was bound there helplessly. Then she could hear the crackle of fire and the low murmurs of voices nearby. She was alive, yet captured by the unknown. The voices came closer.

            "Faith," a voice regarded her. She frowned inwardly, wondering how they knew her name. "I can't believe you found her like this and managed to even chain her and not lose a single man." The voice was scratchy and had a slight foreign accent.

            "She was already unconscious when my men found her, tried to get through the barrier, silly girl." There was a low chuckle. "What we should be worrying about is what to do with her now that he's dead. I'm surprised that barrier held up and that it worked like that. Nothing had been able to faze her before." There was an amused grunt. "Maybe she just had a bad day."

            There was a slight pause, causing Faith to worry about what was happening. "That's not her," came the first voice.

            "What are you talking about," exclaimed the other voice, sounding offended and shocked. "What do you mean this isn't her?! How can you forget the face of that murderous harlot? Look at her! It's the little demon herself!"

            Faith flinched inwardly. She was murderous, she couldn't blame whoever it was out there that wanted her dead, but still, it hurt to be reminded.

            "No!" The first voice disagreed. "There is a light around her. She has a soul, the other one was nothing but…" He paused as if searching for a word. "…but an endless darkness."

            "How can that be? There's but only one unless…" The voice started incredulously. "…but…how can she?"

            "She is," the first voice stated calmly. "And I don't think it was her choice. How else can you explain it?"

            Something was then pulled off Faith's face and her eyes stung as the dim light hit her eyes. She focused on two small beings. They both had long ears, like those elves in cheap department stores during Christmas, only longer and wider with slimy green skin covering their bodies that was also mottled with brown patches. If Faith didn't know any better, she would have taken them for demons, but something told her they weren't. They were trolls, and she was chained to a wall in a dank dungeon.

            "Ah, you see." The troll with the red cape gestured to her face. Faith instantly recognized him as the first voice. "Look at those eyes. She's not the one. She's from the other realm."

            "Sorry Bogs," the other troll apologized.

            "It's not me you should be apologizing to…" the first troll, Bogs, said harshly. He looked up at the girl. "We are deeply sorry for this…intrusion. My companion here is an idiot." He waved his hands and the chains disappeared.

            Faith fell heavily to the ground with a soft thud. She rubbed her raw wrists and glared at the two beings. They both flinched in fear at her look. 

            "Where the hell am I?" Her voice came out raspy as if she hadn't spoken in years and her throat felt terribly dry.

            "Limzell dungeon of course," Bogs replied and gestured around the room. "Had you transferred after what happened."

            "What happened?" She clutched at her aching throat, but the metal collar was still around her neck.

            "Don't you remember knocking one of the guards out and trying to escape," the other troll snapped. Then a cruel smile plastered across his green, squat face. "Didn't plan on that barrier knocking you clean across the room did ya?"

            Bogs hushed him with a gesture. "I don't think that's what she meant." 

            He hobbled across the room, red cape flowing behind him and grabbed a pitcher of water resting on the floor near the door. Faith watched them warily; unsure of what was going on. Bogs made his way over to her and handed her the pitcher. 

            "I see you're a bit thirsty," he said softly. He turned towards the other troll. "Mormeth, how long has this girl been here without food or water?"

            The troll, Mormeth, wrung his hands nervously, clearly afraid to answer. "I…ah…She hasn't…not since we took her."

            "What? That was nearly a week ago! What were you thinking," Bogs reproached as Faith watched the exchange with a smirk.

            "Well, I…uh…" Mormeth took a deep breath glancing at Faith. "Well, look at her, Bogs. I didn't know it was someone else. Anyone would have done the same or worse."

            Bogs softly nodded his head in silent agreement. "I understand."

            "Well, I don't," Faith replied, her throat feeling much better now that she had a drink. "I still don't know what the hell is going on. Or what the fuck I'm doing here." She gestured to the filthy sackcloth over her body. "And why the hell am I wearing a potato sack?!"

            She obviously saw the look of terror spread across their faces as she let her anger be known. _Damn, I musta been something_, she thought sadly _Trying not to be that person anymore_. Bogs recovered first while Mormeth continued to stare at her as if she could rip his head off with a glance. It only served to make Faith more curious and a little happy to be intimidating. 

            He reached out a hand to her to help her off her feet. She hesitated at his gesture, but finally grabbed the troll's hand. Surprisingly it was warm and soft, like a human hand and not slimy and clammy like it appeared to be, and he easily hoisted her up to her feet.

            "C'mon, lass," Bogs said warmly as he started for the door. "I think Limzell will be better suited to answer all this mess." 

            Faith followed Bogs out the door, her muscles tense in case of a fight. Behind her, she can hear Mormeth mumbling in some troll language under her breath. She found herself being thrown back into him by an invisible force as she crossed over the threshold of the door, the thick collar around her neck tightened and burned for a moment then returned to normal.    

            She cursed under her breath, grabbing her throat, as she disentangled herself from Mormeth and rose from the dirt floor. She glared at Bogs who was laughing lightly at them. She was suddenly reminded of when Buffy was thrown into a wall by a similar fashion and couldn't help the grin making her way to her face.

            "You definitely aren't _her_, now are you?" He shook his head, clearly amused. "That wouldn't have even fazed her." He shrugged. "Sorry about that. I forgot all about the protection spells and such Limzell cast down here. At least it wasn't as powerful as the other one. That one knocked you out for over a week."

            Faith approached Bogs and glared down at him, fingering the collar around her. "What are you, kinky or something? What the hell does this thing do?"

            Bogs laughed nervously. "Not really sure, lass. Lim snapped it on ya and as far as I know, I've never seen one before. Must be something new."

            Faith growled low in her throat, but didn't reply. Bogs smiled and gestured for her to follow him and said that the spell won't knock her again because it only works once. Faith followed hesitantly, not really sure if she should be trusting a troll, but she really didn't have any other choice. Besides, she didn't know if trolls were evil like demons. It didn't seem so. Her Slayer senses weren't tingling and Bogs seemed like a really good-natured troll; like a grandfather should be, even though Faith never experienced the joy of having a grandfather.

            _Besides,_ Faith thought grimly. _Not all demons are evil and not all humans are good._


	2. Chapter One

Chapter One

            "Remarkable!" The old troll circled Faith as he studied every inch of her. "The resemblance is incredible, Bogs. I would have sworn on my mother's grave it was her…'cept those eyes…" His dark, swampy green eyes searched Faith's dark brown ones.

            She shifted uncomfortably, but never moved her defiant gaze away. She watched him with a cold glare, as if trying to set him on fire by staring at him hard enough.

            He cleared his throat nervously, obviously put off by the look on her face. "The other one didn't have any color in them, if I remember correctly," the old troll replied, stroking the long white beard on his sagging face. He looked like an old bullfrog and Faith was expecting a long, sticky tongue to dart out at any minute to smack her. Instead he sniffed the air around her. "And a soul, too. Mmm, lovely." He playfully tapped her shoulder somewhat hesitantly.

            "So what are you saying," Faith replied impatiently. She knew he was scared of her. _Question is why?_ "There's someone out there that looks like me?"

            "Not only looks, dear child, but smells and sounds like you," Bogs answered kindly. "Only, you have the stench of a soul, but most won't realize it." He narrowed his eyes at her. "You aren't evil like her, too." He whiffed the air again. "But it's there, inside you, waiting to be let out, like a silent killer." He turned to the other troll. "Right Lim?" The old troll merely nodded.

            Faith frowned. _That's exactly me. Maybe we're the same person and he just doesn't know it…_

            "The creature we speak of is, Faith," Bogs whispered, as if saying it aloud was very illegal.

            Faith's brows furrowed. "That's my name." She glared at the both of them. "How did you know my name?"

            "Easy, lass," Limzell, the old troll sorcerer reassured her. "None of us know what is going on here or how you ended up in our realm. There is a lot of chaos since he died." He studied her again with his small beady green eyes. "It's clear a pure thing like you doesn't belong in this wretched world."

            "Pure," Faith scoffed. "Anything but…"

            "You wouldn't happen to know anything about that would you," Bogs asked suspiciously.

            Faith stared hard at him. "Know anything about what?"

            "Dionysus? The God of Justice? He died and you, I mean _she_, just happened to pass out at the same time." He raised a dark green eyebrow. "Then you wake up and try to escape your execution."

            Faith shook her head. "God of Justice? I thought he was the wine-god? He tried to pull some nasty evil back in Sunny D so I offed him…and, well, myself, too, in the process."

            "Dionysus? The wine-god?" Bogs laughed amusingly. 

            "Wait a minute," Lim snapped. "You _killed_ Dionysus in your realm?" Faith nodded. "How?"

            Faith shrugged offhandedly. "Shish-kabobed him with his own damn sword…I kinda got stuck in the middle."

            "Well…" Lim looked off as if contemplating something. "That explains it."

            "Explains what?" Both Faith and Bogs asked at the same time. 

            Lim gestured to Faith. "What she's doing here. When she killed him in her realm, she killed him in ours, therefore, when the bodies were being phased out of both existences, she somehow managed to switch essences with the Faith here."

            Faith frowned. If that were the case she wouldn't even have time to make her big farewell speech like she did. There was obviously something else, but it was clear that none of them knew at the present moment.

            "We need to get you back to your own realm," Lim said tiredly. 

            Bogs' eyes widened. "What? Are you out of your mind? This is a chance of a lifetime." He gestured to Faith. "Look at her! We could definitely use her to our advantage."

            Faith's blood grew cold at those words. She's always being used and she was slowly getting tired of it.

            Limzell snorted and hobbled his way to his bookcases. "No one would ever believe her if they took a second glance. She doesn't have that fire…edge…killer instinct…"

            Faith smirked at that. _Boy, you sure as hell don't know me._

            "She does. I've seen it," Bogs interjected. "It's there and she has it."

            Faith raised an eyebrow at that. _There's my boy_. She shook her head sadly. _I'll never get away from who I really am, huh?_

            "Come now, Lim, you old toad," Bogs pleaded. "You know what we've got." He stopped to think. "You're a sorcerer for the gods' sake. You can _make_ her look like that bitch. Please, for the sake of trolldom."

            After a while of thought, the old troll finally gave in. "Oh, all right, Bogs." He chuckled heavily. "You drive a hard bargain, but I'll do it."

            Faith, who had been sitting silently watching the conversation, frowned and shot up from her seat. "Wait a fucking minute!" Both trolls had pure terror sweep across their green faces, and she knew that they no longer thought she was as innocent as she seemed. "Do I get a fucking say in this? I just get thrown here and you think I'll automatically do whatever the fuck you want?"

            She suddenly felt the metal collar around her neck tighten around her, as if trying to choke her, and it began to get warm and she knew that in time it would be sizzling hot. She groaned as her hands flew up to her neck, trying to claw the thing off of her. She gasped and her gaze found Lim's. He was gazing at her harshly and then the collar relaxed around her neck and began to cool.

            "Mind your temper," he said coolly yet threateningly. "You forget who you look like. You have many enemies."

            "Big surprise there," she grumbled. 

            "But you are _not_ her," Lim continued as if she hadn't spoken at all. "We can not force you to do anything."

            Faith glared hatefully at both of them. She gingerly tugged at the metal collar, but it wouldn't budge. "So what, am I free?" Faith looked questioningly at both trolls.

            ~ _"So I'm free?"_

_            "I don't know about that, but the door is open."_ ~

            Lim shrugged. "Sure, but where are you going to go? The world out there fears and despises you. You will be dead before you can take two steps."

            "But if you help us, we will find a way to bring you back to your own realm," Bogs replied.

            "It will be hard, but not impossible, human child," Limzell replied.

            "But that's _after_ you help us," Bogs finished. He stretched out his hand towards her. "Have we got a deal?"

            Faith stared down at the offered hand. _Why do I feel like I'm in some whacked out Disney movie?_ She considered her options and found she had none. "Deal."

            She grasped his offered hand firmly and just before she let go, she gave a little squeeze to make sure her strength was known. He pulled his hand away, startled.

            "What are you?" Bogs eyes rounded. "Not an ordinary human, but not like _her_ either…"

            Faith grinned. "I'm a Slayer." Both froze at the words and Faith frowned at their reactions. "What?"

            Bogs' eyes narrowed. "That's what they call them." His voice was low and filled with venom. "Her and that other one."

            "Other one," Faith questioned.

            "That light-haired bitch of hers," Bogs spat disgustedly.

            _Buffy?_ Faith frowned. "Who's 'they'?"

            Bogs raised an eyebrow. "That group of hers. That is what they called the two of them. They called them Slayers."

            Lim finally gathered his composure. "Of course there was to be something supernatural about her if she shares essences with the other one." He rubbed his hands eagerly. "Okay then. Let's get started."

            The old troll ushered Faith into another room before she can question them further. It was a smaller one connected with the one she was already in. She was guessing it was about the same size as one of Cordelia's old closets before she became poor. Nothing much was in this room and she began to think it very well served as a closet, except there was a small stage-like platform in the back of the room, lined with wall-to-wall mirrors.

            "What are we going to do in there," Bogs scoffed. "Look at ourselves?"

            "Silence, old friend." Lim motioned to Faith. "Come, child, on the platform."

            Faith hesitated, then slowly entered the room and stood on the platform. She peered at herself in the mirror almost resentfully. She always hated looking at herself in the mirror, always hated what she found there. The eyes of a cold-blooded killer. The haunted look. Only now there was something different in her eyes. A spark of hope.

            _Now that's definitely different_, Faith thought bewildered.

            She moved her gaze away to regard the rest of her appearance. She looked drawn and skinny, yet still well toned from working out in prison. Her skin was pale and mottled with dirt, grime, and fading cuts and bruises, which she couldn't remember where she had gotten them. They must have beaten her some more while she was chained to the wall. Her dark brown tresses were greasy and matted down to her head and fell in long waves across her shoulders and down her back. She looked at the sackcloth she was wearing. That, too, was covered in all kinds of filth. She had the sudden urge to take a bath and never come out until every last inch of her skin was scrubbed to perfection.

            Limzell stepped up beside her. He chanted something in a foreign tongue. The mirror then grew foggy, like it does when you take a hot shower and the steam fogs the mirror. Only the steam was coming from the inside. Then it flashed a brilliant white light that Faith had to cover her eyes for a brief. She then looked back at the mirror. It turned bitch black, like a black gateway to darkness. However, her reflection was still there, only it was different.

            Her reflection was wearing a two-piece dress of some kind made out of a shiny silky material and all black. The top had long sleeves that flared at the ends and the hem tapered off to reveal her midriff. There was a long slit down the middle, looking like it was about to split the top in two and bare her chest, yet clung to her flesh like a second skin. The bottom half of the outfit was a long black skirt with one long slit on the left side all the way up to her hip, baring long slender legs. 

            The 'Faith' in the mirror looked healthy and voluptuous; with her hair carefully combed and falling in long wavy tresses down her back and her skin looking milky white and impossibly smooth. Her eyes were not the normal color of chocolate brown. They were pure white and seemed like they were glowing like two little moons and every so often a small bolts of lightening would softly crackle from them.

            Faith frowned as she realized the reflection didn't have any haunted look or any remorse or pain or guilt that she carried. In fact, she looked scornfully happy. There was a sinister smirk on her blood red lips; the only color on this seemingly statuesque reflection. She looked so cold and wicked. Faith let out an involuntary shiver as she realized she's smirked like that before and that she used to wear that cold mask of indifference. She briefly wondered if she could ever be that cold again and she immediately saddened when she found her answer was yes.

            "So…that's me huh." It wasn't a question.__

            "No, that is not you. That is Faith…er…the other one," Bogs corrected.

            Faith reached out as if to touch her, but Limzell waved his hand over the mirror as if to swipe it clean. The image rippled like a pebble being dropped into a pond and disappeared, leaving her to touch her own haggard reflection.

            "Hmm, this will help you." Limzell gestured to the mirror and again it rippled.

            Faith watched as a city appeared in the mirror. It looked as though she were watching a TV screen. However, the city was something Faith was not used to. The buildings were made up of sun-dried blocks of stone or mud and couldn't be less than two stories high. There were some buildings fashioned out of wood, but the highest building was made out of marble and looked to be a temple of some kind. There were people in ragged clothing milling about, trading food in the wooden marketplaces on the cobbled streets, and ushering their children home. It looked like an ancient city, like in Egypt or something. In fact, this whole place seemed like a third world country or something she would have seen in one of those old school classics like "Spartacus".

            Faith raised an eyebrow and turned to the old sorcerer. "You wouldn't happen to know if there's a chick named Xena around here would you? Has this wicked cool round killing thingy and a blonde sidekick?" Off their confused looks she shook her head. "Nevermind." _Damn, well there goes my theory._

            "The city of Atlantis," Lim explained.

            "_Before_ she came," Bogs finished grimly.

            "Atlantis," Faith repeated, staring at the city in front of her. "But I thought they all drowned or whatever. This city is in the middle of a damn desert!" Her frown deepened. 

            "And after she destroyed it," Lim continued, ignoring Faith.

            The image in the mirror showed the 'other' Faith on a sand dune, overlooking the city. A wicked smile formed on her beautiful face as she raised a slender white hand. A flame appeared in the palm of her hand and at the same time a huge pillar of fire erupted under the wondrous city. It was only moments before the flame died down and disappeared in her hand and with it the flames in the city. Where the city once was, was nothing but a smoldering black crater.

            "Holy shit," Faith muttered. _No wonder they're so fucking scared of me_. "I…I don't have that kind of power…and Atlantis… that was a long time ago…I didn't even _exist_ then." She gave a pleading look at Bogs, obviously pained because someone who looked like her did this and she felt guilty for it. "Who…what is she? A witch?"

            "No," Bogs said gravely. "She is worse…she's evil incarnate."

            Limzell shook his head amused, which Faith thought was very inappropriate. "Don't listen to that nonsense. We don't know exactly who or what she is. We just know she's here now…well she was…now I suppose she's in your realm."

            "Oh god! B and the others…they have to deal with her now," Faith exclaimed, horrified. Then something else occurred to her and she began to panic. "They…they might think it's me! They'll hate me even worse…" Her eyes widened. "Oh god, what if she's already killed them?"

            Bogs placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "I am sure your bee and the others will be fine. The bitch might be too disoriented to do anything."

            Faith stared at the mirror, watching the thing that looked like her as she disappeared. _God I hope so._

*           *           *

            Buffy sat numbly against the marble wall, her mind racing as it always does while _she_ was away doing only God knows what.

            _If God even exists_, Buffy thought bitterly.

            If He did, then maybe He would have done something by now. Even the Powers That Be would have intervened if they could do something about it. She knew they wouldn't. They had a 'no interference' rule written somewhere.

            She closed her eyes and let a tear slip down her cheek. It had only been a week. Only been a week since, Faith somehow woken up from the dead and caused more havoc into their already complicated lives. She knew it was Faith, just not the same Faith, a different person Faith. She knew because she still felt that bond between them, but it wasn't a Slayer bond, it was something else and it scared her because she didn't know what it was and a big part of her did not want to find out. This Faith had power no one had even thought to dream of. She was crueler and more sadistic than anything or anyone Buffy had ever met or faced and Buffy would have believed she was pure evil if it wasn't for the fact that for some reason this Faith was in love with her and had some sort of close relationship to the others. Nothing evil could love. It sickened her to be grateful for that love. That love was probably the only thing keeping Faith from destroying her, her friends, and possibly the entire world.

            She thought back to what happened that first day. Faith had woken up and gave her a tender kiss and again Buffy felt guilty, as she knew some part of her enjoyed it. Faith had mistaken them for some other people. Buffy had been her lover and from the way Faith acted towards Cordelia, Angel, and the rest of the Scoobs, they must have been close friends or minions. Faith then realized she wasn't in Kansas anymore by their severe change of personality. Generally, the niceness gave it all away. It didn't stop Faith from doing damage.

            She didn't hurt them, of course. Buffy knew this Faith didn't have the heart to and that proved that the real Faith wouldn't have either. She was just sorry it had come to this to make the rest of her friends realize this. It had only taken a mere whim and a flick of the wrist to open the Hellmouth. Unspeakable evil was let lose all because this Faith relished chaos and suffering. The gang then knew, without a doubt, that this Faith could do just about everything. The question is why didn't she?

            _Because she likes to watch_, Buffy answered dimly.

            The biggest question is who is she? She was Faith, of course, but from where? What dimension? What other reality? What is she? What had she become? How did she possess these powers? How did she get here? So many questions, which Buffy knew would go unanswered. Even Willow and Giles, who were now somewhere in this cold, marble temple that Faith constructed with her mind didn't know. Plus, it was kind of hard to plan demises and plot schemes when Faith randomly read thoughts with that evil, knowing grin of hers and her unnatural, emotionless white eyes boring into them.  

            She heard soft footsteps and she immediately sprang to her feet as fear automatically ran a chill down her spine. She straightened out the satin shirt this Faith loved to see her in and wiped the moisture from her eyes. As the figure stepped into the light of the room, the blonde Slayer let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding.

            "Buffy," Cordelia whispered softly and gratefully.

            Buffy let a grateful smile grace her face and quickly embraced the brunette seer. "Oh, Cordy, thank god, I thought…I thought she came back…"

            Cordelia gently pulled the blonde away from her and studied her. "No…she won't be back for awhile…" She sighed. "I hope." She took a deep calming breath and gazed at the Slayer. "Come up with anything yet?"

            Buffy shook her head sadly, fighting back the new wave of tears that sprang to her eyes. "No…she's too strong…How about Wills? Giles? Are they…"

            "They're fine, they're still shaken, but they're fine," Cordelia answered softly. She knew the blonde Slayer was on the brink of losing all hope. She couldn't blame her. She had been through so much. They all had. It was a wonder they all weren't drooling, raving lunatics in a padded cell somewhere. "Dawn's asleep…finally. Tara's watching her."

            Buffy nodded mutely, a faraway look in her eyes. "I miss Faith." Her voice was tired and drawn.

            Cordelia flinched at that, giving Buffy a wide-eyed disbelieving stare. "Are you serious?!"

            Buffy looked at her before giving a forced laugh. "_Our_ Faith." She looked away at the overly, large and decorated room that Faith made for her and the bed they sometimes shared. 

            Cordelia nodded, resting a hand on Buffy's. "Me too."

            Buffy stiffened and Cordelia immediately became concerned. "Buffy, are you all right?"

            Buffy shook her head mutely, her head tilted to one side as if listening to something far away, and her brows furrowed as if in deep concentration. Her eyes sudden grew wide and she moved away from Cordelia quickly.

            "She's coming," Buffy said hoarsely, her throat suddenly dry.

            Cordelia froze at those words and watched as Buffy's gaze fell on a darkened corner of the room. The seer followed Buffy's gaze and felt a sweeping chill of terror go through her. They both watched the shadows that darkened the corner and inhaled sharply when a black panther leapt out of the dark depths. They stood stock still as it slowly slinked towards them, as if sneaking up on its prey. Its flashing white eyes fell on Buffy's hazel-green ones and when the panther got within three feet from her, it morphed into the slender form of the dark Slayer.

            Faith's intense white eyes bore deep into Buffy's like they usually did, as if trying to read her soul. Her face cold and emotionless as always and her body still. If it weren't for the soft glowing of her eyes, the crimson color of her lips, and the lustrous locks of dark hair that swayed gently behind her, she would have looked like a perfectly chiseled statue made of the finest and smoothest marble.

            Buffy watched as a corner of Faith's lips twitched upwards slightly, breaking the statuesque façade, and her cold hard gaze softened slightly. It was just for a moment and if Buffy blinked she would have missed it, but she caught it before Faith's gaze turned back into her usual emotionless mask. And Buffy realized that their Faith used to wear it too. Only there was no pain, sadness, or guilt in her eyes.

Faith took a step forward, like a walking statue, and Buffy held in a shiver as she felt the familiar thrumming of their bond grow stronger as she got closer. She knew if she focused she could tune it out like an unwanted sound, but for some reason she didn't want to. The blonde Slayer felt a slight pang of guilt as she knew it gave her some form of comfort, like she felt safe and she somehow knew everything was all right.

Just like on that first day, Faith came within inches of Buffy, resting her forehead lightly against the blonde's. Buffy couldn't move away, she was too riveted by the calmness she felt from being so close to her. She knew it was wrong to feel this while her friends and the rest of the world were suffering, but she needed comfort like a drug and Faith was the only dealer. Faith's eyes closed, momentarily cutting Buffy off of the soft glow of her eyes. A soft resigned sigh escaped her full red lips before they tried to make its way to Buffy's.

            However, before their lips met, Buffy turned her head slightly and the kiss landed softly on Buffy's cheek. And just like that she was gone, standing three feet away again and Buffy instantly missed the peace that went away with her and felt the cold dread and hopelessness wash over her again. Faith just stood there watching her, as if she hadn't moved at all, and Buffy quickly wondered if she had imagined the whole thing. She felt a small tingle on her cheek where Faith's lips touched and knew she hadn't been dreaming.

            **You will never love me like she did will you?** Faith's voice penetrated her mind in that strange yet dignified accent.

            Buffy shook her head sadly, yet defiantly, and she watched as angry tendrils of lightening bolts crackled around Faith's eyes. "You know I can't."

            "Can not?" Faith spoke aloud, raising a dark eyebrow. "Or will not?"

            Buffy remained silent and a knowing smirk appeared on Faith's face. The blonde Slayer cursed inwardly, wondering if she had read any lingering thoughts, before looking away.

            Faith nodded dismissively and strode towards Cordelia, who looked blankly at the stone floor. She looked as if she wanted to turn tail and run screaming at the top of her lungs, but knew she couldn't. Faith came as nearly as close as she did with Buffy and placed a smooth white hand on her shoulder. Cordelia immediately looked up at her as if the touch alone sent a shock through her. Maybe it did, Buffy would never know. Buffy watched as they just stared at each other, Cordelia with a somewhat frightened look in her eyes while Faith's always remained the same: cold, calculating, piercing. She knew they were having a mental conversation. She knew what it was about because it was always the same. Faith would always ask Cordelia about her visions and Cordelia would answer.

            Finally, after what seemed like hours, Faith moved away from her. She appeared again, inches away from Buffy and moved a white hand to tilt Buffy's chin up to look her straight in the eyes.

            "You will," Faith replied so softly that it was unnerving. 

            She quickly moved her head forwards and this time Buffy didn't move away as Faith's lips met hers in the softest of kisses before pulling away. Buffy watched as a foreign emotion made it's way to Faith's usually detached expression. It was sadness and Buffy held back her shock in seeing it because as soon as she saw it, it was gone again. With a last look at the both of them with her piercing eyes, Faith was gone.

            Buffy and Cordelia both let out a sigh of relief before Buffy began thinking about the changes in Faith's expressions moments ago. It wasn't the first time something like that happened. There were some moments when she would talk with them or look at them and it would be like the old Faith. It was sometimes in her eyes when the cold, whiteness of them would seem to soften and melt away. It was in the casual grin or smirk that somehow looked less sinister than her usual ones. It was in the way she touched them with the slightest bit of fondness or joking around.

            "Buffy, are you okay," Cordelia asked.

            Buffy snapped out of her thoughts, a small smile reassuring smile on her face. "Yeah, I'll be okay." She took a deep breath, concentrating on the air around her to make sure Faith was really gone. She exhaled in relief. "So what did you tell her this time?"

            Cordelia shrugged. "Same as always."

            "Blood and death?" Buffy hooked her arm around Cordelia's and started leading them away.

            Cordelia smiled inanely. "Yup."


	3. Chapter Two

Chapter Two

            Faith stared at her reflection in the mirror. A satisfied smirk appeared on her face as she looked at her much cleaner appearance and rubbed her full stomach. It felt like she had never been full before and the two trolls were slightly perturbed at the large amounts of food she ate. Before Faith agreed to do anything else, she also requested a bath of any kind. She was at first put off by the hole in the ground filled with steaming water.

            "What the hell is up with you things and underground," Faith remembered saying to them before she relented and dived in. It was like a naturally built sauna. She was given nothing to soap herself with and Faith regrettably found herself missing even the prison's disinfectant shampoo and conditioners. However, she made use of the cloth they provided her and scrubbed out the filth from her skin as best she could.

            She had refused to wear the soiled sackcloth and stood there, wet and naked, flustering both trolls, until Bogs muttered under his breath and gave up his red cape. She wrapped it around her like a sheet after screwing somebody before tossing them out. She never was the shy type.

            "So," Faith finally replied, moving away from the mirror to face the two trolls. "What exactly do I have to do? Impersonate?" She snorted derisively. "I don't have that kind of power. And you see these…" She gestured emphatically towards her eyes. "Not exactly brimming with glowy energy."

            "It won't matter," Bogs replied. "I just need you to break up her armies. Maybe they'll be too scared at the sight of you to question you."

            "Armies? With that kind of power, she doesn't need armies to do damage for her," Faith said incredulously. "Why would she do that?"

            "Why not?" Bogs shot back; his tone was low and heated. He stared hard at her as if it were all her fault. "She loves to be the cause of pain and chaos. She revels in blood and suffering." His eyes narrowed. "And more importantly, she likes to watch." He blinked his eyes and the hate went away. "We're nothing more but pawns to her. Toys for her own amusement."

            Lim nodded in agreement. "That much power can be a dangerous thing. Anybody would get carried away and abuse it. She could end us all very quickly if she wanted to." He gave a bitter laugh. "Lucky for us she doesn't misuse hers."

            Faith looked away. She did have power and she did misuse it. "Where'd she get that much power?"

            Bogs laughed. "Don't know! She's always had it. She just appeared one day, decided to meddle, and pit all us Ancients against each other until we all wipe each other off the face of the planet. The gods are even quarreling amongst each other, too." 

            Faith raised a curious eyebrow. "The Ancients?"

            "Yes, the Ancients." Lim sighed. His gaze looked nostalgic. "The ones that have hidden from the world of humans since the Fall of the Titans. The elves and dwarves, the nymphs and trolls, the mighty dragons and the lumbering giants, the beasts of the rivers and oceans as well as the mountains and forests. We're all at war now and some, like us, continue to hide." He shrugged callously.

            Faith nodded, trying to understand everything. "And she…" She paused and her gaze flickered towards the mirror as if to make sure it was really her standing there. "I mean, her friends. They can't find you?"

            "Not without help they can't," Lim answered. His gaze fell on the collar still attached around Faith's neck. "One of her kind didn't like how things were going down and she gave us a little protection."

            "She?" Faith fingered the metal intrusion automatically, as if it were a precious necklace. "You don't know what this is and you still put it on me?"

            Lim laughed. "Yes. I didn't know what it was until Mormeth and his men dragged you into my home and the thing just turned up around your neck." He gave the collar a thoughtful glance. "You should be lucky that she isn't as cruel as the one that looks like you. Who knows, maybe she has equal power and it could have killed you."

            "Yah, lucky me," Faith replied dryly.

            Bogs slammed his fist angrily down on the table, causing the vials on top of it to shudder. "I've had a taste of _her_ cruelty," he spat bitterly. "She was there in that first battle, watching us like a child at a fair. Before I could make my men retreat, they all fell, dead within moments until I was the only one left standing. A general in charge of the dead." He shook his head, holding back angry tears. "And then the bitch was in front of me. Staring down at me with her flashing white eyes and she smiled. Smiled like she was receiving a gift. Then something hit my chest…"

            He stopped and stood up from the wooden chair. His eyes met Faith's and they just stared at each other for a moment before Bogs lifted the armor plate off his chest. Faith's eyes widened at the sight. It looked as if someone had ripped the skin and tissue around his chest until every bone and organ was visible, like a walking skeletal model. However, Bogs was miraculously still alive. He glared hard at her and Faith couldn't help but feel like he was blaming her. She couldn't blame him and she did feel guilty. She was wearing the face of the person who did this to him and brought him and countless others so much pain.

            Bogs broke his gaze, as if unable to bear looking at her any longer. "I can no longer sleep, bathe, or eat without the help of the right equipment."

            Faith grinned. "Well, you guys should be lucky, too." They both stared at her dumbly. "That I don't have that kind of power."

            Lim glared at her, his bulging big eyes narrowing, making his appearance look even more toadish. "What kind of power _do_ you have?"

            Faith froze. She almost forgot about her newly acquired powers. She barely gave them a second thought since she woke up in this place. She looked at the old troll questioningly and he gestured encouragingly while Bogs tensed. She nodded and walked towards a darkened corner where the candle's light didn't touch. She threw a wink and a grin over her shoulder at them, before she disappeared into the shadows.

            Lim and Bogs exchanged worried glances and focused back on the corner. It was too dark to see what was happening and they both started to get nervous. Suddenly, there was a loud animalistic roar that surprised them so bad Lim tipped over in his chair and Bogs stumbled onto the table, clutching his chest as if his heart were to fall out. Their eyes widened to an impossible size as a large black panther casually strode out of the shadows. It was wearing the metal collar.

            **Wicked cool, huh?** came Faith's amused voice from inside both their heads.

            The panther sat back on its hind legs, its mouth gaping open to reveal rows of sharp teeth and a long pink tongue, its intense green eyes moving back and forth between them, and its tail wagged happily behind it. They watched in shock as the shadows seem to burst forth from the panther and cover it like a moving blanket. It twisted and convulsed until it formed back into the familiar feminine figure. In the panther's place stood Faith, with a wide grin plastered on her face.

            "You know, I just thought of something," Faith stated as she looked down at the red cape covering her. 

            The two trolls remained speechless as the inky blackness again seemed to leak out of her and cover her body until it formed into comfortable looking clothes. Black leather pants and a matching top. Faith's smile grew wider.

            "Damn, if I knew I could do that, I woulda saved the trip to the mall." Faith looked back up the trolls with a pleased smirk. "Oh and hey! I could do this, too." Her tone sounded like a child trying impress their parent. 

            She strutted towards them, their mouth's agape in shock and awe, and she leaned down and reached towards a large vial. However, her hand went past the vial but grasped the shadow it casted and drew out a small black dagger from who knows where.

            Faith faced them again, her grin still large, and placed the tip of the dagger against Lim's throat. "Boo." She grinned playfully.

            However, the grin was replaced by a grimace as pain and heat shot out from the collar. She dropped the knife and clutched around the collar. The knife sank back into the shadows.

            "All right, I get it! No violence," Faith gasped. The pain immediately died down to nothing. "For fuck sake's is this chick trying to kill me?" She glared at them as she rubbed what little part of her throat she could. "I was only doing what you asked, geez." They just stared at her idiotically. "Hello? Cat got your tongue?" She smiled inwardly at the pun.

            Lim gathered his wits first. "How did you…that was…" He stammered, trying to let go of his initial shock and form a full sentence. "I thought…" He looked desperately at Bogs.

            Faith followed his gaze. "What's the big?"

            Bogs blinked rapidly, getting rid of the shock. "She…she has that power too." He took a deep calming breath. "It's just a little disconcerting to see it again." He raised an eyebrow. "Especially coming from someone who we thought wasn't her or a killer."

            Faith frowned. "I'm not her." _But I am a killer._

            Lim cleared his throat. "Yes, well, that's interesting." He stroked his beard and Faith swore that if he were a man with a British accent, he would have been a Watcher. "Follow me."

            Fait hesitated for one moment, before finally deciding to follow the two departuring trolls. "So…uh…where are we going now?"

            "The one that's protecting us…she'll lead you back," Lim replied.

            Faith strode next to them, taking smaller steps to match their regular ones. "She does know I'm not…I'm not the other one, right?" Lim faltered in his steps and Bogs coughed conspicuously. Faith immediately halted in her steps and placed her hands on her hips. "You gotta be shitting me!"

            "I don't know if she knows, but I'll make sure she does," Lim said reassuringly. Then his tone got dead and serious. "That's if she doesn't kill me first."

            They continued down the hall in silence. With Faith glaring angrily at the back of both the trolls' heads, before receiving a warning squeeze from the collar around her neck.

*           *           *

            "What is she Giles," Buffy asked meekly, her head resting against a musty book. "She gave you this…" Her eyes roamed the never-ending shelves of books. "…and you still found nothing?"

            Giles sighed, removing his glasses and placing them on top of one of the books lying scattered on the desk. "We're trying, Buffy, but…" He rubbed his eyes tiredly. "…why would she give me all this if she just wants us to find out who she is?"

            Buffy frowned. "I don't know…" She got up from her position and slammed a book closed, the sound echoing in the large room. "None of these tell you what alternate universe she's from?" She turned to Willow pleadingly. "You and Anya did a spell once…remember? Vamp Willow and Olaf?"

            "We've been through all this before," Giles said sternly. "If…if we can't find where she's from we can't perform the spell."

            Buffy turned to Willow for confirmation or help. Instead, Willow's gaze fell on her hands. "Buffy…guys." She hesitated. "I don't think she's from an alternate dimension." They were silent for a moment, both the Slayer and the Watcher utterly confused. "Tara and I…we've already tried performing spells…"

            Buffy's eyes widened. "Oh my god, Will, are you crazy? If she ever found out…"

            "She knows," Willow cut her off solemnly. Both Giles' and Buffy's eyes got even bigger. "I don't think she cares." She gazed blankly at the book in front of her. "None of them worked. We tried sending her to every alternate dimension…even the world without shrimp…" She shook her head helplessly. "…nothing…"

            "Maybe she's immune to magic?" Giles questioned, carefully smoothing out a page in a book.

            Willow swallowed. "She's not." She sighed hopelessly. "It's like…she doesn't belong anywhere else but here. It's like the other dimensions are rejecting her presence."

            Giles pondered for a moment. "Could it be that this is the Faith of the future?" 

            Willow shook her head. "No, if it were…she would remember us, but the "us's" she knows are kinda different. Plus, she's got that weird, indistinguishable yet sultry accent."

            Buffy snorted. "Kinda evil, you mean."

            "You think her accent is evil," Giles questioned, suddenly conscious of his own.

            Buffy smiled softly and shook her head. "No…I mean the "us's" she knows are kinda…" She straightened in her seat as if she were prodded in the back. "…evil…"

            Giles gave her a concerned look. "Buffy, are you all right."

            "No," Buffy said airily. She got up and started off towards the doors, looking kind of dazed.

            Willow's brows furrowed. "Buffy…"

            Buffy gestured her to be quiet. "Shh…she's calling me. She wants me by her side right now."

            And with that, she disappeared out the door leaving the Wicca and the Watcher to stare at the closed doors. They met each other's worried glances and Willow raised an eyebrow.

            "Anyone find that odd? The whole 'my-mistress-is-beckoning-to-me' thing?" Willow looked expectantly at Giles, who coughed uncomfortably.

            "Yes, well, they…um…share a bond…" Giles began to explain, before he realized Willow just said it for dry humor. He smiled affectionately. "How are you doing?"

            Willow sighed wearily. "Other than seeing Sunnydale and the most part of California being overruled by demons?" She shrugged. "I'm doing fine. Although I think I need to cleanse my brain of all the blood and gore, kinda gives me nightmares. I'm kinda missing the whole 'Glory hellgod thing' right now. At least then, we knew what we were dealing with." She smiled half-heartedly.

            Giles nodded in understanding. He was very grateful that they all had retained their sanity despite the events of the past week. It was hard, especially for Buffy and Dawn. They were still grieving over their mother and now this.

            Faith was cold and callous. No one could predict what she would do next. She had opened the Hellmouth, unleashing many evils into the world. Most of the state was already controlled by demons and were slowly spreading across the country. She had then started conflict around the globe, causing skirmishes amongst many countries. They had no doubt there would be a World War III sometime in the near future. How she did it? One can only guess she manipulated leaders with her mind.

            He was, however, very confused over the fact that she didn't kill them. Instead, she had built them a fantastical castle for all of them to live in quite comfortably. They didn't know whether it was a game or not. They didn't know if she was just pretending to care for them just to get their hopes high and then slowly pick them off one by one, undoubtedly leaving Buffy last to suffer the great loss of everyone she ever loved. Everyday was like waking up questioning if this was the day she would get tired of them all and just kill them. Everyday was hard because they never knew what Faith had in store for them. Everyday of waking up in this place lost them a bit more hope. Everybody was always tense. Everybody was always weary and scared. And it had only been a week. He didn't know what would happen if they were to live like this for another one. He didn't know if they would survive it. If the world wasn't destroyed yet by demons or nuclear weapons or if Faith would just end it very quickly or very slowly.

            She was too powerful. She had no need for them, yet she still kept them around. Sometimes talking with them as if they were her old friends or sometimes just standing there watching them, like an eerie realistic looking statue and sometimes she would play games on them, just for her own amusement. Mostly she went away to deal with other affairs across the world. She loved to watch the chaos she made.

            He glanced across the table to a very tired-looking Willow. "I think there's nothing else we can do here. Let's try to get some rest."

            Buffy steadily entered her room, her eyes immediately finding the dark statuesque figure on the balcony. She went to her side, not looking at her, but staring off into the distance and basking in the peace that settled on her from their bond. Below them, there were demons and humans scavenging for food or fighting or trying to survive. She took a deep breath as she suppressed her Slayer instinct urge to help them. A surprisingly warm hand gently found its way to hers and she looked sideways at Faith, whose gaze was still fixed below them.

            "Beautiful, is it not?" A lazy smile formed on Faith's features as she continued to watch the suffering and carnage below them.

            Bodies both demon and human lay rotting on the streets. The buildings looked like they had been shelled and the roads themselves had great fissures and cracks issuing forth from the great hole that was once Sunnydale High School. The town was nowhere near what it had looked like before. It was more of a ghost town with the occasional guerrilla warfare between demons and humans alike. It was a wonder there were even any humans left in this town. The residents here were always kind of stupid.

            "Depends on your definition of 'beautiful'," Buffy answered bluntly.

            She turned away from the balcony to look inside her lavish room, slowly taking her hand away from Faith's. She shivered in some unseen breeze and wrapped her arms protectively around her. She briefly wondered why Faith even bothered to ask questions when she could easily find the answer by just reading her mind.

            Buffy stiffened as Faith stood behind her and placed her hands gently on Buffy's shoulder and leaned in so her lips were by her ear. "Because I choose not to invade your thoughts," Faith answered into her ear. She moved away and placed her hands on the edge of the balcony as she stared back out into what was left of the town. "She always thought it was beautiful." Buffy swore her tone was almost wistful. Almost. "She would be laughing at their futility by now."

            "I'm not her," Buffy said quietly. She slowly approached her again, facing her. She took a deep breath. "But…"

            "Why am I doing this," Faith asked for her, with an evil glint in her eyes. "Why not?" She gestured to two humans fleeing from some demons. One selfishly tossed the other towards the demons while he made a safe retreat. "Do you think they deserve to live?" She raised an eyebrow at Buffy's look. "I know not all humans are bad, but do you know why they exist to begin with?"

            Buffy shook her head. "Someone said 'let there be light'?"

            Faith let out a soft chuckle. "Because 'someone' got bored and needed something to play with."


	4. Chapter Three

A/N: Thank you all for the reviews. I don't really feel like I deserve them…not really a good writer and I'm stumbling on writer's block, grrrrrr. Hope you enjoy it so far though, and thanks for taking the time to read this story.

Chapter Three

            "That's not how it goes," Buffy replied softly. She herself didn't understand theology.

            Faith raised an eyebrow, noticing the uncertainty in her tone. "Oh? And you know how it goes?" She smiled as Buffy remained silent. "God." She paused as if thinking the word over. "He is one of man's blunders. A creation to make up a reason for why you exist. There are many religions in your world, many contradict, which is why it is so easy to start wars here." She gave a sinister smirk, her unnaturally glowing eyes crackling just a bit. "But they all contain the same thing…a creation…a destruction..."

            "So, lemme guess…" Buffy interrupted boldly. "You're here to bring about the destruction?" She shrugged. "I've stopped apocalypses before. This time will be no different." Her voice was pure determination.

            Faith looked at her curiously, then she laughed softly, amusedly. "Such determination. In some ways, you are just like her." She moved away from the balcony, gesturing Buffy to follow her inside. "I did not come here on my own accord. I am doing what I was made to do."

            Buffy sat on the edge of her grand bed, staring up at Faith with questioning eyes. "And what is that? What are you?"

            **The Slayer** Faith gestured towards Buffy's body. "Same as you."

            "I'm not like you," Buffy replied heatedly.

            Faith smiled wanly, moving close to place her hand tenderly on her cheek. "No, you are not," she agreed, her piercing eyes cutting deep into her. "Not yet."

            Buffy flinched at the touch; pushing down the rising emotions she felt whenever Faith was around. Whenever _any_ Faiths were around. It was always the same feelings. The fear, the anxiety, the pain, and the hate. There were also other emotions that she felt. A rising passion that only Faith seemed to bring out of her, that made her fight harder, laugh louder, and actually live for once. The calming feeling because she was not alone anymore, there was another Slayer. The confusion she felt when she thought of Faith's attraction towards her. The confusion of what she, herself, felt towards the dark Slayer. Was it hate? Or is it something more powerful that transcends it all? All this rolled up into one overwhelming package that Buffy was never ready to deal with.

            Faith grinned mischievously as she gazed at the blonde. "You mistake confusion for fear, my love." She moved away, still grinning madly, making Buffy a little anxious. She wondered if she had read her thoughts and Faith's grin grew wider. "I did."

            "I thought you didn't choose to," Buffy stated, slightly flushed.

            Faith held her amused expression. "I can not help it, when you express yourself so openly and easily." Her eyes danced wildly with mischief, reminding Buffy of their Faith. "You were drawn to her." She laughed mercilessly. "You were drawn to the way she lived, her spirit. So free with wild and reckless abandon." She paused, her grin still there, looking exactly like Faith's. "She tried to show you." Buffy looked away, shamed for some reason. "But you were afraid." Her grin dropped as she stared intently at the blonde. A frown formed. "You poisoned her."

            Buffy looked back at her, shocked and confused by her words. "What? I didn't…"

            "She was the innocent one!" Faith cut her off frigidly, her eyes glowing angrily and crackling bolts ominously. Her tone was harsh, angry, as if it were her that had been wronged.

            Silence filled the air, except the hissing sound of the energy brimming in Faith's eyes and the occasional sound of violence outside. They stared at each other; the blonde with a confused expression and the dark-haired beauty with a condemning look. Buffy wondered what she meant by that comment. Faith, the innocent one. She had killed two people; one accidental and one purposely and ruthlessly. That, by any means, wasn't innocent. She was also guilty of crimes against her and her loved ones. How on earth was that innocent? She dimly was aware of what Faith went through, remembering the small amount of memories she was given. She felt what Faith went through; all the pain, the shame, the guilt. She felt there was more to it. More of what this Faith meant. The innocent one. How? Was it her fault that Faith went over the edge? Her heart sank as she tried to find the answer. Maybe it was. Maybe if she didn't push her away so many times. Maybe if they included her more. Was she guilty over the things Faith did?

            _No, she had a choice_, Buffy reminded herself resolutely. 

            Faith smiled as she watched Buffy rack her brain for answers. Again, her expression softened and she spoke softly, like to a child that was too young to understand. "You think you know…what you are…what's to come." 

            Buffy stiffened at those words, hearing it twice before. Once in a dream, the other by a powerful vampire.

            ~ _"I need to know more. About where I come from, about the other Slayers. I mean, maybe…maybe if I could learn to control this thing, I could be stronger, I could be better. But…I'm scared…"_ ~

            That's when the truth hit Buffy with a stunning force; she felt the breath escape her lungs and the pit of her stomach churning wildly. Faith knew what a Slayer was. She understood. She controlled it and dealt with the consequences good and bad. She was stronger. She was better. She was never afraid. Until she met Buffy. 

            Faith had sought to be closer to Buffy, thinking she found someone else like her, who shared the gifts of being the Slayer. But she was wrong. Buffy was not like Faith. Friends and family surrounded Buffy. Slaying was not her life. She did not enjoy the hunt. She did not like the darkness that came with it. And Faith began thinking that that was what slaying was about. That her views on being the Slayer were wrong when she was, in fact, right. That Faith was wrong in relishing in the darkness and the power. That she was supposed to live like other people, even though she was not like other people. So Faith had tempted Buffy with her life. No rules. No boundaries. Freedom. Enjoyment. Because they were Slayers, they were Chosen. No one could stop them. Her philosophy of want, take, have a childish vision of the world; innocent and breathtaking and sincere. Because she did not live in a world full of insecurities, worries, and bitterness like Buffy. She loved her life; she had joy in what she did. And Buffy was tempted, but did not cross the line. 

            Then Faith started to see her as a role model, the good, and the perfect, Buffy Summers. She became insecure, shamed, and jealous because she began to believe her lifestyle was reckless, indecent, and just plain ghastly because it was not prim and proper like Buffy's. And she became confused. She lost the cherished way she lived her life, free and uncaring. She lost the feeling of joy when on the hunt, knowing they would lose and she would win because she was the Slayer. But not the only one. 

            There was Buffy. The other Slayer, the good Slayer, the older and more experienced Slayer, and her circle of close friends. Was that how she was supposed to live her life? For praises and appreciation? So that's what Faith began to seek, but would never find. Not from them. Faith had been through a lot, but she still retained her innocence, her childlike beauty. She was too innocent to know right from wrong. All she knew was that she was the Slayer, she was given power, and that she was supposed to use it. Her innocence was what made it so easy for her to be corrupted and she was, by Buffy first. Her downfall into darkness came soon after and Buffy got a taste of it when she plunged her own dagger into her gut, when Angel and Dracula sank their fangs into her. She did enjoy the darkness; she hungered for it and the power. But she was afraid. Overall, they had corrupted each other.

            Faith smiled as she watched Buffy closely. **You haven't even begun.**

*           *           *

            Faith sat impatiently in the middle of the cold, dark room. She had been waiting for what seemed like hours in this dark, dank, and empty room in the middle of the earth. The two trolls had left her there by herself and said she was supposed to wait. She didn't know what the hell she was waiting for. As soon as they left, she heard them lock, bolt, and block the door behind them. Her first reaction was anger and to get the hell out. Then she calmed herself down and remembered she belonged in prison anyway and if that's where she was, then so be it.

            At least she was learning more uses of her new powers. She rested her chin on the palm of her hand as she sat cross-legged on the dirt floor. Her other hand was gesturing in front of her, moving and manipulating the darkness that swirled around her. She sometimes made them into shapes of animals, dancing along around her, but mostly had them fighting and killing each other. She sometimes made them into weapons that she threw against the dirt walls around her. As soon as they embedded into the walls, they dissipated into nothing, leaving small holes or welts in their wake.

            "Hmm…" Faith wondered. She moved the darkness in front of her and made a little black chair. A wry smile formed on her lips. "Wicked." _At least I can spend imprisonment comfortably._

            Suddenly the hairs on the back of Faith's neck rose and her Slayer senses started to prickle. Faith's brows wrinkled in confusion as she looked around the room._ What the…nothing here…_         

            A moment later she felt something next to her. It felt as if somebody was standing right next to her, looking down at her, studying her. Faith looked at the empty spot with a raised eyebrow. For some reason, the unseen presence felt familiar, like she had felt this presence before. She frowned at the empty spot and stood up, backing away, her muscles tensing.

            "Hello?" She stared uncertainly at the spot. _Don't tell me I'm losing my mind now._

            Faith then watched as the air around that spot blurred, as if it were water, and a figure slowly phased into view. Faith's eyes widened in shock. Standing before her was Cordelia. She looked every bit the Egyptian queen. She wore a flowing white gown that exposed a delicate shoulder and a golden cord was tied around her narrow waist. Her long hair was done in many small braids that fell gently across her shoulders and down her back. She wore the same unmistakable scowl on her face, but the only difference was her eyes. They were the color of crimson and glowed a soft reddish light.

            Faith took a step towards her, in amazement. "Cordelia?" 

The frown on her face deepened, if that were even possible and her eyes narrowed into dangerous red slits. She continued to study the dark Slayer, making Faith feel a little unnerved by her unmoving stature and unwavering stare.

            Faith stopped her movements, her own eyes narrowing. "Cordy, what's…"

            Before Faith could finish her sentence, she found herself being thrown back into the dirt wall. The metal collar around her neck tightened quickly around her like a noose and started to burn. She could feel her skin sizzling underneath the collar as she tried to suck in air. She opened her eyes to find Cordelia right in front of her, glaring furiously, her eyes glowing angrily. It was then Faith realized this wasn't Cordelia. She should have figured it out sooner, but she was always a little slow. This was the Cordelia of wherever she was now.

            "Do not call me that," Cordelia hissed angrily, her voice carried a soft foreign accent so different from the valley girl accent Faith was used to. It made her sound more majestic and dignified.

            Cordelia turned away and the pain instantly subsided. Faith immediately took in deep breaths to fill her aching lungs of much needed oxygen. She winced slightly at the burns around her throat. She stumbled to her feet, fighting the urge to attack this woman that wore the face of one of the only people who trusted her.

            "Who…who are you," Faith asked between gasps of air.

            Cordelia spun around and Faith immediately dropped into a fighting stance. At Faith's reaction, Cordelia smiled cruelly. "So it is true. You really are here."

            Faith raised an eyebrow. "Well, yah, I'm here. If I wasn't here then I wouldn't be here." She grimaced inwardly. _Yah, that made perfect sense._ She rolled her shoulders, dropping her stance, and slowly crossed her arms. "So what's the sitch?"

            Cordelia moved around her, like a vulture circling its prey. "You have power," she stated, ignoring Faith's question. She stopped in front of the Slayer, her red eyes roaming across her body. "You look exactly like her." A small frown formed when she met the other girl's gaze. "Not the eyes." She looked away as if thinking of something.

            Faith crossed her arms impatiently. "Look, I really don't wanna stay here more than I have to. If you'd just kindly lead me to the armies, I'll do my thing and I can blow…" She waited for a response, but Cordelia just stood there with a concentrated look as if in deep thought. "Hey, what's your deal? Are you gonna help or what?"

            Cordelia's gaze snapped towards hers and she flicked her hand in a dismissive gesture. At the movement, the collar around Faith's neck gave one final squeeze before unclasping itself around her neck and fell to the ground with a dull clunk. Faith stared at the plain metal object before her gaze met Cordelia's impassive one.

            "I'll take that as a yes," Faith replied, rubbing around her neck absently and wincing at the burns she found there.

            She paused as she watched the collar rise and float towards Cordelia's waiting hands. She gave Faith a wicked smile before the collar changed shape into a thin, decorated chain that Cordelia clasped around her neck. It now looked nothing more than a silver necklace.

            Before Faith could say anything more, she found herself rising a few feet off the ground and floating towards Cordelia until she was only less than a foot away. Cordelia looked over her body one last time before waving in front of her and Faith felt the clothes she had on moving and slithering around her as if it were liquid. She craned her head down and saw that it looked like black goo was oozing all around her, like the darkness that seeped out of her. Then she remembered that her clothes were made from that substance. After a few moments, she was wearing exactly what the other Faith was. The two piece dress with the revealing slits and flaring sleeves. She was then deposited on the ground, her feet bare on the dank ground.

            Faith raised a questioning eyebrow. "If you wanted me to change, you shoulda just asked." She gave Cordelia a saucy wink.

            Cordelia seemed a bit taken back by the gesture then recovered her stony expression as if she remembered the girl in front of her wasn't the same Faith. "Your language is different." Her eyes roamed her again, her crimson eyes finally landing on her neck. "You have been injured." Her eyes then flicked to the scars on her hands.

            Faith fidgeted with her hands, suddenly feeling embarrassed for some reason. "Yeah…well…we're not all exactly invincible where I come from…" One hand unconsciously made her way to the scars on her abdomen another went up to touch her throat. "And that's your fault for putting that weird collar thing on me. Dominatrix much? Anyway, it won't make that much of a difference. From what I've seen, people are gonna be too scared to…"

            Her sentence trailed off as Cordelia reached out and clasped both hands in hers. She froze in apprehension when Cordelia brought them close to her lips. They locked eyes and Cordelia slowly parted her lips and gently blew against Faith's hands. The dark Slayer shuddered as she felt her warm breath caress her skin and watched in amazement as the scars marring her skin slowly disappeared, leaving behind smooth flesh.

            Faith was about to say something, but her voice stuck in her throat as she felt Cordelia sharply pull her against her. She groaned as one of Cordelia's hands roughly jerked her head to the side, exposing her throat and the other hand moved her hair away. She stiffened as Cordelia bent her head down and felt Cordelia's warm breath once again caress her skin. Then as quick as it happened, Faith found herself standing nearly a foot away from Cordelia, as if they hadn't moved at all. Only Cordelia had a smirk on her lips, suggesting otherwise.

            "Th-thanks," Faith finally replied. _Whoa…any Cordy that up close and personal is too hot…_

            Cordelia raised a curious eyebrow as if hearing gratitude from her was the strangest thing. It probably was. "What do you know?"

            Faith snapped her mind out of her fantasy. "Huh?"

            Annoyance again appeared in her expression and for a moment it looked like the Cordelia Faith knew. "What do you know about this place? About the face you resemble?" Her tone was cold, precise, reminding Faith that this wasn't the Cordelia she knew. She lacked the liveliness Cordelia had. "What do you know of the power you possess? Of why you were brought here?"

            Faith shifted uncomfortably at the barrage of questions. "I don't know about this place…" She began ticking off the questions with her fingers. "…I don't know who the hell _she_ is…I'm the damn Slayer…and I have no fucking idea why I'm here. I just woke up here." She crossed her arms and matched glares with the woman in front of her. "What about you? You gonna fill in the blanks for me or are we just gonna stand here and stare at each other?" She shrugged flippantly. "Doesn't really matter to me. Personally, I'd go with the staring." She leered suggestively at Cordelia, her brown eyes raking over her body, the old 'bad girl' attitude settling comfortably around her.

            Cordelia's eyes narrowed vehemently. "Enough of this."

            She angrily snatched the front of Faith's shirt, almost exposing her breasts. She brusquely pulled her closer to her so that they were face to face, their noses almost touching. Faith stared defiantly back into those scorching red eyes and watched as a malicious smirk made its way to Cordelia's face. Then the world around her began to blur and bleed together so that the only thing that remained clear and focused was Cordelia.


	5. Chapter Four

A/N: Sorry for the short chapter…work is kicking my ass!!!

Chapter Four

            Faith stared at the fields before her. Bodies were everywhere, some cut to pieces, some missing limbs, some had large bloody holes, some had weapons still embedded into them, and all their faces were etched in pain as they died. The land was scorched, no sign of green amongst the bodies, amongst the blood, limbs, and gore. The stench was unbearable, but she was used to the stench of the dead. However, it was never this thick and strong before. She had never seen so many bodies all at once before, maybe she and Buffy didn't even kill a tenth of this amount during their life as a Slayer.

            _Hell, even Angel and his posse didn't come close to this body count during their glory days,_ Faith thought vaguely. 

            She studied one body. It looked like a tall, dark-haired man, with long pointed ears and a prominent nose. His eyes were fixed, unseeing, to the sky, blood was spattered on it, and his mouth hung open and his eyes wide. He would have looked human if it weren't for the purplish blue tint of his skin. There were two types of bodies that littered the land. The purplish-blue ones with long dark hair and sharp, pointy ears. The other type of body was short yet bulky, rounded looking creatures covered in heavy armor. What little of skin she could see was covered in coarse thick hair.

            "A battle was waged here," the brunette beside her finally replied. Faith glanced at her from the corner of her eye. "Not too long ago, perhaps a few days ago." She gestured to the land coated with corpses. "This is all that remains."

            Faith shrugged indifferently. "There's nothing we could do here then." She turned to face her. "Why the hell did you bring me here?"

            "I wanted you to see." Cordelia raised a curious, dark eyebrow. "And do you like what you see?"

            Faith looked again at the bodies, spotting a small human-looking figure that couldn't even be less than ten years old. It was missing a head so she couldn't tell. She shifted uncomfortably, moving her gaze away from the body and onto the next one. This one had a head, but was missing half its body; guts spilling out like a grotesque cornucopia. She couldn't get over the expressions on their faces. It was the same as Allan's, the same as Lester's. It was probably what she looked like, for a split second, when she felt her own knife slid into her belly. She stared straight ahead into the gray horizon, not wanting to see the bodies.

            "Not really…" She crossed her arms, hugging herself.

            Cordelia grinned at that. "Good." 

            She started walking amongst the bodies, not stepping over them but going through them as if she wasn't really there. Faith followed behind her, her eyes rooted to the ground as she concentrated on not stepping on anything more or less bloody. Her feet were still bare, but so were the other Faith's. She could do nothing about it. The dark Slayer found herself missing her steel-toed Docs. She stopped when Cordelia stopped and watched as Cordelia looked around her as if really seeing the carnage for the first time, a small upsetting frown playing across her face.

            "Now what are you doing," Faith asked hesitantly.

            "I am seeing," came the distant reply.

            Faith looked around, not noticing anything unusual. "Nothing much to see."

            Cordelia's turned her head sharply to hers, eyes glowing angrily. "I am Sight." Her gaze wandered the fields around her, a hand went up to carelessly finger the silver necklace around her. "You would not understand." She gave a soft sigh, her gaze lowering. "I see what could have been, the possibilities…endless…" Her gaze went back up to Faith's, her eyes searching hers. "You could have made a difference…there would not be so much needless death." Her eyes again roamed the fields. "But this is the outcome…there is no change."

            "So you could see the future? Not just the weird vision thing?" Faith looked around her. "I could have prevented this?"

            Cordelia frowned. "I can not see the future. I can only see the many paths you can choose to take, the results infinite, always changing." She cocked her head to the side in a curious gesture. "I see the paths you chose…the paths you could have taken…" A small smile playful smile formed not unlike the ones Faith was used to. "Interesting." The smile disappeared leaving her expression unreadable as she gazed once more at the bodies. "There is no Fate…no Destiny…Everything happens because of choices…"

            ~ _"Or is it just like Fate. You know, there is no choice. You were gonna be here no matter what. You ever think about that stuff? Fate…and Destiny…I don't…" _~

            Faith nodded slowly. "So you see all that shit in your head?" Cordelia nodded. "Damn, and I thought I had problems."

            Faith met Cordelia's gaze with a wry smile. After Cordelia stared at her with a somewhat confused look, a grin of her own formed. "Very interesting," she whispered softly, amusingly to herself.

            Before Faith could question what she meant, Cordelia was in front of her again, grasping one of her wrists in a vice-like grip. The world again blurred and melted into each other like water splashed on wet paint. Soon she found herself in a tent of some sort, it wasn't small yet it was easy to collapse for quick traveling. There was a bedroll on one corner, haphazardly made and a desk at the far end the size of a minivan. At this desk was some kind of creature. He looked human for the most part, with a long gruff red beard that made him look like a mountaineer. However, he had little horns protruding from his coarse red hair and he seemed to be about as wide as she was tall and if he stood, Faith guessed him to be close to twenty feet tall. He was engrossed with a large, tattered map with many large X's and red marks. Beside him was a large axe that made Dionysus' sword look like a mere plaything. He did not seem to notice them, which Faith was grateful for. She didn't want to see him in action with that outsized weapon.

            Cordelia nudged her with her elbow. "General of the valley giants," she spoke to her softly.

            "What? Giants?" Faith stared at her incredulously.

            Cordelia grinned evilly. "We are in their camp. There are thousands more just outside. All armed. All eager to fight. Just beyond their camp borders, a lair of dragons, which they are about to battle." She strolled to the desk, perching herself on top of it, the giant didn't even acknowledge her presence. "So if you fail…" She smiled. "Well…I'd like to watch you try to fight your way out of here." She studied the dark Slayer. "It is a possibility, you know." Her eyes glinted maliciously.

            "He can't even see me," Faith stammered, suddenly aware of her position.

            The grin grew wider and Faith was vaguely reminded of the bitch queen of Sunnydale. "Not yet." She pointed behind her. "From the shadows she comes. Can you do it?"

            Faith straightened, taking on her cocky stance. She never was one to back down from a challenge. "What do you _see_?" Her tone was brash as always, flipping the other brunette the bird, before sauntering off into the shadows of the tent.

            Cordelia raised an eyebrow at the curious gesture then watched, a bored look on her face, as darkness swallowed the young girl. There was a ferocious growl and at the sudden noise the giant leapt out of his chair, an alarmed and terrified look immediately covering his expression. His beady dark eyes watched as a large black panther emerged from the shadows of his tent and he tried not to tremble. His gaze flickered to his large axe.

            **Don't even think about it, you naughty boy** Faith scolded as if she were reprimanding a child.

            "S-sorry, I was not expecting you to be back so soon," he stammered, fear obvious in his deep gruff voice. He spoke in a different language, but for some reason Faith understood it and she spoke it as well. "I swear…the vermin will be dead by sunrise tomorrow." This time his voice carried loathing.

            Faith stalked closer, quickly changing her form to human. Cordelia watched, slightly amused, and still perched atop the desk like a child waiting for a treat. The giant looked like he was about to wet his very tremendous sized trousers. He watched as she paced around in front of the desk, her eyes roaming every inch of the tent as if weighing her options about what to do with him. She looked bored and uninterested; more like an animal getting aware of its surroundings.

            "You will not kill them," she finally stated flatly, her hands reached out to snatch the map off the desk. 

            She stared at it with a bored expression before throwing it into the air behind her. Immediately after, a black spike shot out of a corner, impaling the map against one of the poles holding the tent up. The giant swallowed in fear, then fixed a confused gaze at the small brunette. Faith knew he could easily crush her with his hands, but he didn't know that. He was too scared of who she thought she was. For a moment, she relished in that fear before reminding herself this was not a demon.

            "Wh-what? They ought to be killed!" His voice boomed angrily. "They pollute the skies with their very breath! They lay waste to our lands and…"

            His mouth snapped shut as long, inky black spears sprang out of the corners on both sides of him. He could feel them prodding his skin enough to draw blood. If he moved an inch he would be impaled. Sweat beads formed on his brow, his bottom lip quivering in both fear and rage, making his red beard shake slightly. He watched as the dark-haired beauty casually picked up one sharp point from the shadows. Her hands delicately ran across the smooth, black surface, her eyes examining it as if it were something very important.

            "Are you talking back to me?" Faith asked with a somewhat amused tone. Her eyes never left her new weapon.

            The giant sucked in his large belly as he felt a spear poke him uncomfortably. "N-no, mistress…never…"

            "Never?" She sounded amused. "I thought I just heard you…"

            "No, please, forgive me," the giant begged.

            Faith slammed her spear hard into the ground. "Are you calling me a liar?"

            Large beads of sweat ran down the giants face. "No…"

            "Good," Faith replied happily, with a cheeky smile. "So…no killing…in fact, send the troops home, I'm sure they're missing their honeys and are craving for a little after hours of…" She smiled before she could do the little provocative gesture and grunt. Lost in memory for a brief moment.

            ~ _"I mean, I'm sorry, it's just, all this sweating nightly, side-by-side action, and you never put in for a little after-hours of UGNH!?"_ ~

            She snapped her head to the side, the memory quickly gone, replaced by a cruel familiar grin. "Do you understand what I'm trying to tell you?"

            The giant nodded his head ardently, his brow and beard practically dripping with sweat. "But, the fire-breathers, they will still come after us…they will not stop till our kind is extinct."

            Faith raised an eyebrow, looking almost surprised he actually spoke again, but instead gave a crooked half-smile. "Then make a truce…end this war now…" She quickly threw the spear into his left leg and he cried out in agony. She almost enjoyed the sound. "…or I'll end you and your kind myself." Her tone was dark, leaving no note of speculation whether she would do it or not, then her face quickly brightened and she leapt onto the table so she was nearer to his height. She patted his chest. "Understand?"

            The giant took a deep breath. "Y-yes…I understand," he managed to say through his pain.

            "Good." She smiled happily and gave his leg a teasing pat. He groaned in pain. "I'll see you around."

            She sauntered back into the shadows, to his eyes she disappeared in them. She strutted back out with a triumphant grin. Cordelia watched with only an amused look.

            "Soooo?" She gestured around her. "How'd I do?"

            Cordelia moved down from her perch on the table, closing her eyes as if thinking of something before opening them again. "Your methods are different." Faith's brow creased slightly, her smile faltered. "But well." She looked back at the giant, now free from the spikes surrounding him and gingerly taking care of the wound in his leg. "He now has that path of peace open to him, which wasn't before." Faith's smile brightened again. "He will try that path because of his fear for you, but it will be hard."

            "Yah," Faith replied sarcastically. "Peace is a bitch to find."

            Cordelia raised an eyebrow, still trying to adjust to this new Faith's language. "Yes, well, I doubt you can fool them."

            Faith frowned. "Who?"

            Cordelia gave her a sinister smile before touching her shoulder. Again the world melded together in a blur of colors. When the world became clear again, the dark Slayer found herself in a very large, lavish room. It was made out of cold, marble stones with lush exotic rugs and plush furniture. There wasn't much in the room except a bed, too large to be king-sized, with red silk sheets, fur blankets, and many puffy pillows. Facing the bed was a large balcony overlooking the landscape outside.

            Faith gave an inquiring look at Cordelia, who watched her closely. The constant watching was beginning to become annoying. "Now where are we?"

            She was rewarded by another evil grin and glint of her red eyes. "Home."

            Faith froze, not by her words, but by a strong familiar tingling in her chest that seemed to be getting stronger as the seconds ticked past. Her heart started to beat faster in her chest with a mix of anxiety and dread. She nearly jumped as the large double-doors slammed open and a familiar figure stood at the opening.

            Faith's eyes grew even wider than she thought possible as she gaped at her. _Oh my god…Buffy!_

            Before she could utter a word, she felt a strong wave of peace and calm engulf her. The sudden shock of feeling so much serenity, something that was so foreign to her, was so overwhelming that she didn't even notice the warm arms that slid around her neck in a loving embrace. Her eyes slid shut, momentarily losing herself in the tranquility that surrounded her. After a second, did she realize a familiar presence was in her arms, their bodies crushing each other in a fierce hug.

            Faith quickly pulled away, almost as if she had been burned, and looked into pure white, unfamiliar eyes that cracked light blue energy. These eyes were now staring at her, light eyebrows cocked questioningly. A frown slowly formed on the all-too familiar face.

            **My love?** came Buffy's voice inside Faith's head, filled with curiosity.

            Only this wasn't Buffy. Faith knew instantly. This bond she felt was different. It was stronger than the Slayer connection. The voice sounded the same only it had a soft, lilting accent that she didn't recognize. The dark Slayer swallowed the lump in her throat and her gaze flickered behind Buffy to give Cordelia a dark look. The seer only gazed at her coldly, an eyebrow slightly raised as if wondering what she was going to do.

            Buffy followed Faith's gaze with a questioning look. "You both have been gone for awhile. Nearly a week…" She turned back to Faith, reaching up to tenderly stroke Faith's cheek. **I missed you.**

            Faith backed away, emotions long buried confusing her and the bond she was feeling from this Buffy wasn't making it any easier. "I…um…I-I missed you, too." _This isn't B, B would never…would she? No! She wouldn't, of course not you fucking idiot!_ Faith thought frantically as she stumbled further away, nearly tripping over a throw rug. 

            Buffy's brows creased as she watched Faith slowly back away, confusion written clearly on her face, but her gaze looking distant and far away. Her glowing colorless eyes narrowed dangerously and she whirled around to face Cordelia. The tall brunette flinched, but kept her steady gaze. They glared at each other for a moment, obviously exchanging words mentally.

            "It probably made her disoriented," Cordelia snapped out loud, her crimson eyes flaring angrily. "The point is, he's dead. The gods are now feuding. This world is at its end." She gave a bitter smile. "As you two wished."

            Faith snapped her attention back as she heard Cordelia's angry voice. She took a deep breath. _Okay, still gotta play pretend…the other me and this…B musta been some crazy, psycho lovers…All right, I can do that, I've done it before…_

            ~ _"Bondage looks good on ya, B. The outfit's all wrong, but, hey!"_ ~

            Buffy frowned at Cordelia's words. "I do not wish it. You know that!"


	6. Chapter Five

A/N: Sorry it took so long for this chapter to come up, my room mate crashed my hard drive and I had to wait for our paychecks to come in to repair it. Anyway, again, thanks for all the reviews and I hope you enjoy this chapter. I'm suffering from major writer's block!!! Grrrr…argh...lol.

Chapter Five

            Cordelia snorted derisively, her glowing red eyes narrowing into slits. She gave a quick glance at Faith before she slowly blurred out of sight.

            The blonde sighed, running her fingers through her perfect golden locks before turning around and gracing Faith with a tender, loving smile that the dark Slayer never thought would be directed to her. Her eerie white eyes softened and she reached out to clasp one of her hands. Faith held her breath at the touch; never feeling so elated in her life.

            Buffy raised an eyebrow. "Something the matter?"

            Faith shook her head, trying to form a clear thought as she tried to ignore the peaceful buzz coating her. It was kind of hard seeing as the blonde's hands were roaming across her arms and gliding down her back. Buffy moved closer, placing a soft kiss on Faith's cheek before moving down to her neck. Little sparks of pleasure shot through her at the light contact and for once Faith cursed her overactive libido. She always knew she had a thing for the blonde. She didn't know if it was love. She'd never been in love to know what it felt like, but she always enjoyed Buffy's company and she was always dying for the blonde's attention or affection.

            Suddenly the blonde jumped back, with a surprised look on her face. Her head tilted to the side curiously as she studied Faith's face and body. Faith could almost feel those eyes scorching a path down to her very soul.

            "No," Buffy muttered. "No, impossible." She sounded more confused than anything. The blonde shook her head disbelievingly, her eyes crackling tiny bolts of lightening. She reached up to cup Faith's face, forcing the brunette to look her in the eyes. "Your eyes…so much pain" She looked away as if it were unbearable to look at her. "A human now. What have they done to you?"

            "Shit," Faith mumbled under her breath. _Guess the jig is up._ "No one's done anything to me, I'm not…well, I am Faith, but not _your_ Faith."

            Buffy's gaze harshly met hers, her white eyes crackling. "Slayer?"

            "Yah," Faith sighed. "I'm a Slayer. Just like you."

            Again, one of Buffy's hands reached up to caress Faith's cheek. "Not like me." She closed her eyes as if concentrating on something before opening them again with a small grin. "Not yet."

            Faith frowned. "What? What do you mean 'not yet'?" She moved her hand over Buffy's and moved it away from her face, but didn't let go.

            Buffy smirked maliciously, sending a chill down Faith's spine before her eyes moved down to where their hands linked. "You have power." Her eyes moved back up to meet Faith's, softening slightly. "My love…" She moved forward quickly to plant a soft chaste kiss on the dark Slayer's lips. "You do not understand do you?"

            Faith shook the fuzz out of her head, the kiss leaving her feeling lightheaded and confused. "No, not really." She moved away from the blonde, knowing distance would help her think better. "Care to clear things up for me?"

            A grin formed on the blonde's features. "So alike, yet so different." A hand moved delicately to lightly touch Faith's chest, just above her left breast where her heart beated steadily. "You still feel me inside, do you not?" She picked up one of Faith's hands and gently placed it over her own heart. "I still feel you."

            Faith closed her eyes, focusing on the power she felt radiating from the small blonde and the peace she felt surrounding her. The bond she felt was so different, yet agonizingly familiar, like a taste long forgotten that has now been experienced again. It felt like the Buffy she knew, only different, stronger. 

            The dark Slayer let out a shuddering breath before opening her eyes. "What's that supposed to mean?"

            Buffy tilted her head in a perplexed manner, as if wondering why Faith didn't get it yet. She smiled softly as if realizing something and clasped their hands together again.

            "Come, we shall discuss this with the others," Buffy replied softly.

            _The others,_ Faith thought frantically as she felt herself being pulled away by the blonde. _Great, be prepared to meet the twisted version of the Scooby Gang._

*           *           *

            Dawn slept peacefully among the large fluffy pillows and blankets. As peacefully as one can when under the roof of a mystical and powerful stranger that looked exactly like a certain reformed psychopathic Slayer. A pale hand reached out from the shadows to sweep Dawn's long brown locks away from her face. Her green eyes fluttered open sleepily.

            "Buffy?" The young brunette yawned and rubbed her eyes.

            She looked around the room that seemed empty, but she could feel the strong presence. Her sleepy eyes widened instantly as it landed on the familiar figure of Faith. She was illuminated by the silver rays of the moon, making her eyes appear brighter and her skin paler than it normally was.

            "Wh-what are you doing here," Dawn stammered, trying not to sound afraid.

            Faith smiled softly at her, almost sadly. "I wanted to see you." She moved forward to move a long strand of dark hair behind Dawn's ear just as Buffy always does.

            Dawn took a shaky breath, fearing that those hands would swoop up and snap her neck. "Why?" She swallowed, gaining more courage. "I'm tired of being messed with while I'm sleeping, that's how…" She closed her eyes mournfully before opening them again.

            Faith frowned as she stared at the girl, her eyes crackling angrily. "Dionysus? He dared to poison you with his filthy spirits while you slumbered!"

            Dawn watched her, half afraid of what she was going to do, half amazed that even this version of Faith cared for her.

            Faith calmed, placing a surprisingly warm hand against Dawn's. "He will not harm you anymore. Nor shall I." She appeared to be saddened. "You think that I would harm you?"

            Dawn shook her head immediately. "No…it's just…well, you are kinda scary with the lightening eyes and godlike powers."

            Faith sighed, lightly sitting on the edge of the bed. "You are not from here." Her gaze moved to the large French windows.

            Dawn watched her cautiously, her gaze following hers to the window. _Faith always did like a view_.

            She remembered that their Faith almost always had a knack of looking out windows as soon as she entered a room. Almost like she couldn't take being cooped up for long and that the window was the only means of gaining some semblance of freedom as she looked outside of it.

            "Do you know where I'm from," Dawn questioned with a small voice, curiosity getting the best of her.

            "Dawn." Faith turned back to look at her, an eyebrow slightly raised. "I can not use you. You have the power now, but I can not use it."

            "Power?" Dawn frowned, becoming confused. "What? I don't understand…"

            Faith placed a hand on her cheek. "You are the Key, are you not?" Dawn stiffened at that and Faith stood up walking back into the shadows. "I must go. Sleep now."

            She waved her hand in front of Dawn and the young girl immediately fell softly back into bed in deep slumber. Faith carefully pulled the blankets back over the sleeping form and slowly disappeared into the shadows.

*           *           *

            The gang waited anxiously in the extensive library. Giles was going through some books, while Dawn tried to catch a glimpse or two next to him. Xander and Anya lounged sleepily in their chairs, while Tara and Willow went through spell books.

            "So what's with the meeting," Xander questioned. "Did you guys find anything new?"

            Giles looked up from his research. "I'm not exactly sure, Buffy wanted us here."

            "So where is she? She gets us up early, but doesn't bother to show up on time," Anya replied with an annoyed expression.

            At that moment, the heavy double doors slowly creaked open, and the group stiffened in fear for a split second before relief washed over them at the sight of Buffy walking in with a hollow expression. At the sight of her friends and family, the blonde Slayer gave a weak smile.

            "Finally," Anya snorted.

            Buffy's smile widened despite herself. She could always count on Anya to be as tactless and sarcastic as ever no matter the circumstances. "Sorry to keep you waiting. I wasn't able to drag myself out of bed."

            Giles nodded. "It's all right, Buffy. At least you're getting some sleep. I know the past few weeks haven't really been…" He trailed off, not knowing exactly how to describe the last few weeks. Buffy nodded in understanding. "So, what is it that you wish to speak with us?"

             "Actually, I wanted to ask you something," Buffy replied. "Faith told me last night that she was a Slayer…but my powers are nothing compared to hers."

            "And you were wondering if I knew the source of your powers," Giles figured. He sighed softly, his brow wrinkling. "I'm sorry, Buffy, but the Watcher's Council…no one actually…knows exactly where your powers come from."

            "What about the Greek gods," Buffy asked, her gaze moving to the two Wiccans. "The First Slayer was chosen from Artemis' tribes right?"

            "It's n-not for sure," Tara replied sheepishly.

            "There's no record of the First Slayer," Willow continued, smiling affectionately at her girlfriend. "We just know that one of Artemis' women were Chosen and she was recorded as the First Slayer."

            Giles' face brightened as if he had an epiphany. "Hold on."

            He disappeared into one of the many long, sky-high aisles of books and within minutes reemerged with a small pile of books cradled in his arms. He dropped them on the already overpiled table and a cloud of dust rose up, which Dawn wafted with a disturbed expression. The old librarian picked one of the old, tattered books and began flipping pages.

            "Ah, here." He stopped on a page and scanned it briefly. "Artemis's tribe, the…er…Amazons, they were the first to be tainted with demonic blood, turning them into vampires. She merely found the Chosen One among her people and imbued her with the sacred duty of killing them." He paused as he read further into the book. "Not long after, Dionysus also possessed her tribe with his demonic spirits, seeing as they were easy targets and were already trained warriors." He closed the book. "That's all there is, just war among the gods. Nothing about the source of the Slayer's powers."

            "What about the Key's powers," Dawn suddenly asked.

            The gang looked at the young girl with sympathy and Dawn stared determinedly back at Giles and her sister.

            "We already told you everything we know about the Key," Giles answered delicately. "We don't really know much else. The Key predates the written word, like Glory."

            Buffy raised an eyebrow. "Why so curious?"

            Dawn crossed her arms. "Just curious is all."

            "You do know what happened to the cat right," Xander replied amusingly.

            Dawn smiled at him from across the table.

            "Why don't you just poof her into another dimension," Anya finally said irritatingly. "Get it over with and get her out of her. She doesn't belong here."

            "We tried that already," Willow said softly. "It seems she doesn't belong anywhere else either. It's like she _is_ Faith…but not."

            "What? That's impossible. Out of all the dimensions and realities, she didn't go in any of them?" The ex-demon's eyes grew large with shock.

            Buffy turned to look at the former vengeance demon. "Do you know why?"

            Anya glanced from between Tara and Willow, her brows creasing slightly. "I'm not sure why. That's very strange." She frowned as she continued thinking. She shifted uncomfortably as their eyes continued to stare at her. 

            "Anya, if you know something…anything that might help…could you please tell us," Buffy replied, her voice almost pleading.

            The ex-demon sighed, chewing on her bottom lip. "There's this myth, back in ancient Greece…" Her face brightened at some lost memory of her demonic days. "I was summoned there because this woman was thrown out of her harem in Athens and she wished the owner…"

            "Anya," Xander quickly interrupted, not wanting to hear about her glory days. "Please, stay on subject."

            Anya frowned, her lips pouting. "Sorry, but you should have seen the size of his…"

            "Anya," Buffy interrupted, her voice edgy.

            "Right, anyway, there was this cult. They were condemning the pagan gods," Anya began explaining.

            "You mean, the Christian factions, right?" Dawn looked at her hopefully. "Because I've been studying Greek lately and it said they didn't like Christianity back then…hence Jesus being crucified and all…"

            Anya frowned at her. "You do know that Jesus…" Off Buffy's warning glare, she changed back to topic. "Well, anyway, it wasn't the Christians. The cult had this prophecy. All the gods were going to be destroyed, including the One God of the Jews, hell gods, anything deemed superior to the other races. The dimensions and universes were going to be destroyed…" Dawn swallowed at that and Anya smiled lightly. "Oh, but not by you. You just open them up. Anyway, the cultists were all killed because they weren't pagan believers."

            "What does that have to do with Faith not being able to get into any of the dimensions," Buffy questioned.

            Anya gazed at her, her brows scrunching in fear and concern. "Well, the myth, all the gods dying…" She sighed as the blonde hadn't caught on yet, but apparently the others did.

            "Think about it, Buffy," Willow replied. "The spells…we always have to pray to a god."

            "And the spells won't work if there isn't a god to pray to," Buffy concluded, finally catching on. She looked hard at Anya. "Has it started already? The god killing?"

            Anya shrugged. "Well…yeah…didn't you guys kill Dionysus?"


End file.
